Arguably the Milwaukee Brewers‘ second-best starting pitcher in 2026, Kyle Harrison just endured a road trip to forget.
The left-hander could not get out of the fourth inning on August 31 against the Chicago Cubs and September 6 versus the Reds in Cincinnati. The Brewers lost both of those games, and Harrison was the pitcher of record in each.
Harrison’s recent struggles have raised questions about whether he can remain a reliable option in Milwaukee’s postseason rotation.
Before the All-Star break, the Brewers’ tandem of Harrison and Jacob Misiorowski was as good a one-two punch as there was in major league baseball. Between the two of them, they combined for an 18-6 record and a sub-1.00 WHIP.
Harrison ended the first half of the season with an 8-2 record, a 3.01 ERA, and a minuscule 1.08 WHIP. He averaged well over a strikeout per inning, punching out 93 batters in 83.2 innings of work. He proved to be the perfect complement to the right-handed Misiorowski at the top of the rotation, leading Milwaukee to the best record in baseball.
While the Miz has continued his quest for a Cy Young Award in the second half, Harrison’s production has Brewers’ brass and fans wondering what has happened.
Harrison’s post-All-Star break trek did not get off to a good start. A forearm injury shelved him on July 11 for about four weeks, and he did not appear in another game until August 5th.
While he did post two victories in August, Harrison’s production was inconsistent, at best. He gave up one run over 10 total innings in his starts against the Seattle Mariners and New York Mets. His last start of the month, on August 31, and his first September start on the 6th against the Reds were anything but fruitful.
Following the game, Harrison conceded that the Cubs’ fireworks may have been due to his mechanics.
“Part of it’s on me. I can’t be giving away pitches in the first inning,” he said. “When you know what’s coming, it’s a little bit easier to hit, I think. It’s on me during the week. I knew these guys were looking for any kind of edge that they can get. They got a little bit of edge on me in the first inning.”
Another damning factor was the noticeable decline in his fastball velocity. During the first three months of the season, his heater regularly checked in at or above 95-96 miles per hour. Against Chicago, that pitch averaged just 93.4. Harrison’s fastball velocity has been an important component of his success this season, making the sudden drop particularly concerning for Milwaukee heading into the postseason.
Manager Pat Murphy took notice.
“Obviously, if it was 96 [mph] like it was earlier in the season, it’s probably not the same results,” Murphy said. “But that’s what we’re going with right now.”
“I’m not giving up on the velo,” Harrison said. “I think it will be there. I’m feeling great physically.”
Sunday’s bounce-back opportunity, however, did not garner different results.
Despite his second rough outing, Harrison owned his misfortunes but maintained that he feels fine.
“Physically, I’m feeling good,” he said. “Results have obviously sucked. Felt like I got to my spot, [but I] got beat. Tough to pinpoint. Quality execution, that’s what it comes down to. I wasn’t able to do that.”
With the Brewers in the home stretch of the season, speculation surfaced that Harrison’s ineffectiveness may necessitate a move out of the rotation.
“Maybe he won’t start,” Murphy said. “Maybe he’ll end up being in the middle of the game or something like that … I think it’s probably back him off a little bit [or] if he starts a game, go shorter.
“Is there something in his delivery that kind of tips the hitter off that it’s a fastball? That might be. When you don’t get results it kind of plays on your mind. It’s a whole mental thing that we’re trying to correct.”
After such a scorching start to his first season in a Brewers uniform, Milwaukee obviously needs Harrison to regain his first-half form. As they enter a huge three-game home series against the Cubs on Monday, the Brewers still hold a seven-game lead over Chicago.
A change of scenery may do Harrison and the Brewers some good, especially with Milwaukee recently employing a six-man rotation. Whatever the decision on his role on the mound shall be, the team needs Harrison to step up for the next two months. Chasing their first championship in 56 years may hang in the balance.
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